Home for Christmas

Christmas is over and we are back in our routine. Getting ready for Christmas was lots of fun. We got to help Mom make lots of Christmas gift baskets, write out our Christmas cards and wrap all of the gifts.

On Christmas Eve DixieLee and I got to open one of OUR gifts. We each got a fun toy that has a ball to catch on one end and a tail to tug on the other. I got a blue one and she got a red one. Or did I get the red on and she get the blue one?

Christmas morning was not so much fun. We rushed breakfast so Mom and Dad could leave early to go visit Mom’s human family. It was snowing really, really hard and it was really, really dark when the left. They were gone for a very long time and DixieLee was worried they were never coming back.

I knew Mom was coming back cuz she told us she was when she left. She told us Tracie, our neighbor, was going to take care of us and when she came home, we would get to open another gift.

Tracie, came to feed us and let us outside but DixieLee cried and wanted Mom and Dad. She was not on her best behavior, barking and carrying on. She wouldn’t listen good to Tracie except when she was bribed with cookies. Then she was miss goody four paws.

It was hard waiting for Mom and Dad to come home and to see what our other gifts were. Having very bad weather made it worse since we couldn’t go outside much during the day and they had to drive very slow so it took forever for them to get home.

It was well worth the wait! We got extra treats and our big gift was a new unstuffed Zanie! Unstuffed Zanies are good fun. They have TWO squeakers! I got a chipmunk and DixieLee got a coyote. Or did I get the coyote and DixieLee get the chipmunk?

It’s good to get back into our routine but I think it would be fun to have more Christmas times. At least the present part.

Hope your Christmas was good and you got lots of toys and treats and bestest wishes for a healthy and happy 2018 from everyone at Paw Pals Boutique.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the very bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com

The Night Before Christmas

Whoo. Christmas is almost here and we shipped our last batch of orders yesterday. (Maybe) DixieLee is happy because she says she will be able to sleep later in the morning now that things will be getting back to normal.

Mom and I like to stick to our routine, no matter what time of year it is. It’s true that getting up early when it’s still dark and cold out isn’t fun but once we are awake and moving, we take charge of our day and get lots done.

Dixie Lee and I like to sleep in the living room at night. I stretch out on the couch while she curls up in Dad’s chair. Around 2:00 a.m. we both go down to the bedroom and cuddle on the bed with Mom and Dad. That way we will be able to easier wake them up at 5:00 to feed us breakfast.

Breakfast is a complicated affair so even though DixieLee trusts that Mom will do it right and dozes on the couch until our bowls are filled, I always sit right in the kitchen so I can supervise better. As soon as we finish our kibble, we go back into the kitchen and up to the counter where the cookie jar is.

Mom doesn’t often forget our after breakfast cookie but you never know. She’s getting older and I understand forgetfulness is something that happens when humans get older.

After breakfast Mom works on the computer, taking orders and updating our Facebook pages and Dad goes out to get the newspaper and coffees. We help Mom with her computer work or nap until we get bored and want to go outside.  Sometimes we like to play doorman with Mom.  That's the game where we want to be in the house when we are outside and outside when we are in the house.  She isn't too fond of that game but we like it lots.

When Mom has to run errands we nap but as soon as she comes home and starts working in the Studio, we all help. 

Dad helps by restocking inventory or getting packages ready to mail. I supervise from the dog bed in the corner but DixieLee has a more hands on approach. One time she took a whole roll of ribbon and pulled it off of the roll. Mom was not pleased since ribbon that has been dragged around the floor and chewed on doesn’t make very good bows.

We work hard all day and are ready to call it a day when Mom takes the packages to the Post Office or does more computer work.  While she is gone we get our supper and an afternoon cookie.  After all, we worked hard all day and deserve a treat.

Now that Christmas is almost here, we want to wish all of our friends, furry and human, a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy 2018.

Love,

Zeva and everyone at Paw Pals Boutique

P.S.  Visit Paw Pals Boutique and check out the huge selection of gift baskets especially designed for pets and the people of love them.

A BONE OR A PHONE

I’ve been surfing the web and choosing the gifts I’m going to put on my Santa Paws list.  There are some really great toys out there!  I know Mom is going to be practical and probably tell Santa we need new Shoo! Tags because Dixie ate hers and we need to be protected against fleas and ticks.  She’ll probably say we should ask for Kyjen tug toys made out of fire hoses cuz Dixie ate all our other toys.  But I’m looking for something really different this year.

I’m a real techie dog so the PetCell really got my attention.  It’s a small bone-shaped phone that attached to a dog’s collar.  Too cute!  I wonder if it comes in pink.  It works just like a human cell phone so your humans can talk to you even when they aren’t around.  How cool is that!!!  It also has a GPS and Geo fencing.  Wow.

I told Mom all about it but she says I’m too young to have my own phone.  I’m three!  And besides, I’m very responsible. I’m putting it on my list anyway cuz Santa Paws knows I have been very, extra, super good this year.

I like when Mom puts kibble inside the Kong and when I play with it, it gives me treats.  I saw some other toys like that on line so I’m hoping to get one of those.  What could be better than playing AND getting treats at the same time?

I have a ball that flashes lights when I play with it.  I like to drop it at the top of the stairs and watch it go down.   It’s a new toy so I don’t know how long it will last before Miss Chews Everything gets it and Mom throws it out.  So I looked and found something called X-Tire Blinky Ball.  It’s a ball that blinks like the one I have but this one is surrounded by two rings that are made out of the stuff car tires are made of.  Definitely going on my list.

Antlers are always a good choice and on Christmas day, after we open all of our gifts, I would like nothing better than to relax and enjoy a fresh marrow bone.  Perfection.

I think that about covers my wish list for this year. After you mail your list off to Santa Paws, drop me a note, I’d love to know what you are expecting to see under your tree.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Seasons Greetings,

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  blatant self-promotion... all of our holiday gift baskets have lots of great toys and treats so if you don't have the time to shop around, check out our website.  It's so easy, just choose the gifts you want and tell me where to send them.  I'll even include a nice card.  Our site is filled with great gifts for pets and the people who love them.  Here's the link to the pet page http://laurelmtbasket.com/index.php/store/category/pet-gifts-and-baskets

Home For The Holidays

The Holiday Season is here.  Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas is right behind it.  OMD!  I haven't written to Santa Paws yet!  Anyway, the holidays are a very hectic time of year for pets as well as for people.

Houses get decorated and big meals get cooked.  Lots of people come to visit.  All of this can be confusing.

Mom and Dad love Christmas and love to make the house pretty with all sorts of decorations.  The biggest decoration is the tree.  They actually go outside and bring a tree into the house.  Imagine that!  Bringing a tree in means that they have to move stuff around which is kind of confusing for a while.

A real tree needs to have water so if you get a real tree in your house you need to remember that you are not supposed to drink the water that is under the tree.  That water is the tree's water.  Also, sometimes people put chemicals in the water.  Chemicals are good for the tree but bad for pets.

Christmas trees are not for chewing.  I like to chew sticks but the kind of trees that make good Christmas trees, make bad chewing trees.  These trees have oils in them that can make your tummy very bad and the little green needles can get into your intestines and, oh boy, it can hurt.  The last thing you want to do is go to the emergency vet.  Your humans will not be happy.

Cats -  As tempting as it is, DO NOT climb the inside tree.  Humans don't like it.

Male Dogs - The inside tree is not for lifting your leg. You still need to go outside to pee.

Having a tree in the house can be pretty but humans take it a step further.  Humans like to decorate the tree with all kinds of stuff.  They wrap the tree in lights and garland, hang pretty round things called ornaments on the branches and even sprinkle shiny tinsel all over it.  None of this is good to eat!

The ornament things are really pretty but you need to be careful because some of them are made of glass.  Glass ornaments are easy to break and you don't want to get any broken glass in your pads.  Tinsel and garland are very pretty too but you don't want to eat them because they make you very sick and again, you don't want to go to the vet.

I'm the curious type so I'm always sniffing the ornaments and poking them to make them move.  That's why Mom puts ornaments that can't break on the lower branches of the tree.  If I poke one or hit it with my tail and it falls off the tree, it won't break which makes Mom happy and keeps me out of trouble.

Be very careful that you don't knock over the tree.  Dixie and I play tag and wrestle so we are going to have to be extra careful around the Christmas tree this year.  Hopefully Dad will put it in a very sturdy stand so that we can't knock it over while playing.

The best part of having a tree is that that is where Santa Paws puts the presents. You just have to remember that not all of the presents are for you and you should not unwrap them or chew the boxes.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and I hope Santa Paws brings you lots of toys and treats.

Your friend,
Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion our Yappy Holidays! gift baskets  is one of my very favorites because it has some yummy stuff for your humans too.

Dear Santa Paws

Hello everyone,

Christmas is only a few days away so today I am writing my letter to Santa Paws.  As I mentioned in my last blog, I was too young last year to realize how much fun Christmas is.  I also didn't realize that you can actually ask Santa Paws for stuff and, if you were very good all year long, he will bring you what you asked for.
I heard my Mom talking the other day and I know I am going to get a new collar because mine is dirty. I think it got that way when I went in the pond and then ran through the field when Bella, Pyra and I were playing tag.  If I have to get a new one, I hope it's either purple to match my halter or red because I look so good in red. We 'll go to Dave's Pet Food City because I'll need to try the different collars on and Dave's is one of the few store that dogs can go in.  I love to go in Dave's and check out all of the toys and treats.  I like shopping there but I am not allowed to take any of the treats out of the bins. I'm not sure why that is.
I already know what I am getting my friends for Christmas cuz I helped make the pet  gifts we sell at Laurel Mountain Basket Co.  Our Best In Show Gift Basket is perfect for all of my friends cuz it's filled with toys AND treats!  What could be better than that?
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that you get all the presents you asked for.  If you need any help choosing gifts for your friends or if your humans need help finding just the right gift for you, tell them to contact me.  I am an expert when it comes to choosing pet gifts.  You can email me at info@laurelmtbasket.com or call 413-527-1243 and talk with my Mom.  She's pretty good at helping too.
Merry Christmas everyone,
Your friend,
Zeva

A Dog's Eye View of Christmas

I'm so excited!  Christmas is almost here! I know because I heard some dogs on the radio singing Jingle Bells.  Last year was my first Christmas so I didn't realize the significance of the day until the night before.  That's when I found out that lots of the pretty boxes under the special tree that lit up were for me.  And those boxes were filled with TOYS!!!! 
That's when I understood that Christmas is when dogs get lots and lots of toys! So this year I'm ready.  I'm already sniffing the pretty packages but all I smell are clothes.   I hope those are for the humans cuz I don't like clothes.  My cousin Sophie like to wear sweaters and stuff, but I don't.  May be we'll buy her a new sweater from Cute Critters at the Winter Festival on Saturday at Eastworks.  And maybe I can convince Mom to buy me some cookies from Wagga Tails Treats cuz they are going to be at the Festival too.
Although the most important part of Christmas is the toys, and we pets get excited about all of the new things in our houses please remember that Christmas can be a dangerous time for us.
We all like looking at the pretty trees with their flashing lights and pretty balls, but the oil in the trees is toxic and the needles don't digest.  The chemicals people put in the water that help the tree live while it is inside are also toxic to pets.
Make sure your pets don't chew on the electrical cords that keep the lights flashing and those pretty balls, if made of glass, can easily break and those little pieces of glass can cut our paws.  Tinsel, is very tempting, but tinsel does not digest either and can get all knotted up in our bellies.  We can die from knotted up bellies.
So please be extra watchful of your pets around your Christmas tree.  In our house the tree stands on a high table so I can see it but can't reach it.  In some of my friends houses, there are gates in the doorways so the dogs can't be in the room with the tree unless there are humans in there too.  Cats are different so gates don't work for cats and cats love to climb trees. So houses with cats need to be extra careful.
So please remember to keep your pet safe during the Christmas Holiday and remember to buy them lots of toys and treats.  If you don't know what to get them, just give me a call.  I helped design all of the pet gift baskets and can help you choose the right gift for your pet.  You'll find some of our most popular ones in the Pet Gift Section of our website.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Your friend,
Zeva